Platform and pipe rack for oil well derricks



June 1939- l. T. MINYARD ET AL 2,151,719

PLATFORM AND PIPE RACK FOR OIL WELL DERRICKS Filed Aug. 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Shet 1 1/ 5 20 Z? I 4 J If fi' 'i/f? 4 7 June 6, 1 939.' l, T. MINYARD ET AL PLATFORM AND PIPE. RACK FOR OIL WELL DERRICK'S 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 4, 1938 Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLATFORM AND PIPE RACK FOR OIL WELL DERRICKS Application August 4, 1938, Serial No. 223,118

9 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved platform containing a pivotally mounted pipe rack.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pipe rack adapted to be mounted on a well der- 5 rick to support a plurality of stacks of drill pipe sections in an upright position.

Still a further object of the invention, is to provide a pipe rack formed of a plurality of sections pivotally connected to a platform and adapt- 10 ed to be folded therein when not in use; said sections being independently movable to an open extended position to form a pipe rack of various sizes depending upon the number of pipe sections to be stacked.

Still a further object of the invention, is to provide locking means adapted to be actuated by the operators foot from the platform to close or open the outer ends of the rack slots for releasably retaining the pipe sections therein; and 20 means pivotally mounted on said platform to protect the operator from injury resulting from the upper ends of the pipe sections swinging inwardly toward the platform.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention 30 showing three of the rack sections in an extended position,

Figure 2 is an end view in elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view showing one of the rack sections or fingers 35 in an open position,

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

40 Figure 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3,

Figure 7 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View taken on the line '!i of Figure 5, and

Figure 8 is an elevational view of the outer 45 end of the tube showing the slot formed therein to limit the swing of the locking dog.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, l designates generally a platform preferably formed of an open elongated rectangular frame ll, formed of pipe sections, and provided with the flooring 12 at the opposite ends thereof, and the rigid transverse beams l3 disposed therebetween, said beams being arranged in spaced apart relationship relatively to each other.

As best seen in Figure '7, the beams l3 are preferably formed of T-shaped bars to the underside of which are secured the longitudinal beam l4 5 for a purpose which will hereinafter be described. As seen in Figure 1, the beams [3 are provided with the reduced ends l5 to accommodate the sleeves l6 which are rotatably mounted on one of the longitudinal pipes forming the frame ll and from which project the T-shaped bars ll which taper in thickness toward their free ends, as best seen in Figure 4. Sleeves l6 and bars ll combine to form the fingers or rack sections, designated generally l8 which are adapted to fold 15 into the slots 19, of the platform H) which are formed by the spaced beams l3. When in a folded position, the edges of the bars l? are adapted to rest on the longitudinal beam M to retain the portions thereof substantially in a horizong0 tal plane with the beams It as best seen in Figures 1 and 5. The sleeves I6 are provided with the outwardly projecting lugs 2! adapted to engage beneath the beams l3 when the fingers 58 are swung to an open position as seen in Figures 3 5 and 4 to limit their outward movement to dispose them substantially in a plane with the platform l0. Fingers l8 when in an extended position as seen in Figure 4 are disposed with their portions 20 lowermost.

Secured longitudinally of the tapered edges of the bars I! are the tubular casings 22, provided with the slots 23 in their outer ends, which are adapted to rotatably mount the rods 24 the outer ends of which are bent substantially at right angles to the intermediate portions to form the locking dogs 25 which project outwardly through the slots 23, and the inner ends of which are bent to form the transversely disposed crank portions 26 adapted to be actuated by the foot to swing the dogs 25 through an arc of substantially 90,

as defined by the width of the slots 23 from an upright position substantially in a plane with the axis of the fingers [8 to a position at right angles thereto. 1

A pair of ears 2'! project upwardly from the platform H3 at its opposite ends and along the longitudinal side to which the fingers l8 are pivotally connected, said ears being provided with openings to aline with openings in the lugs 28 and to be pivotally connected thereto by means of the pins 29. The lugs 28 are secured adjacent the free ends of the depending legs 3!! of the rail 3| which is pivotally mounted thereby to move from a folded position, resting on the top of the platform ID, to an upright position at right angles thereto, said upright movement being limited by the free ends of the legs 30 engaging the frame I I as seen in Figure 2. As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the braces 32 are pivotally mounted at their ends to the opposite ends of the platform 16, as seen at 33 and are provided with the forked ends 34 adapted to engage legs 30 to retain the rail 3| in an open position. The braces 32 may be swung back to allow the rail 3| to be folded, and when the rail is in an upright position the braces 32 combine with the free ends of the legs to re-' tain it substantially at right angles to the plat form I D.

, From the foregoing it will be seen that the fingers [8 may all be folded into the platform I0 and the rail 3| likewise folded thereon, for conveniently transporting the platform and rack to and from a plurality of oil well derricks. The platform is adapted to be mounted on the girts of the derrick after which the fingers l 8 are swung outwardly to their open position, and with the locking dogs 25 in their raised or inoperative position, the drill pipe sections 35 may be stacked by the derrick upright in the slots 36 formed between the adjacent fingers l8 and after a slot 36 has been filled, the operator, standing on the platform l0 actuates the crank 26 to swing the dog 25 connected thereto to a horizontal position, as seen in Figure 1, to close the outer end of the slot 36 to retain the pipe sections 35 therein. During this operation, the rail 3! will be in its raised position, as seen in Figure 2, sothat the upper ends of the pipe sections 35 cannot swing inwardly, relatively to the platform In, to injure the operator standing thereon. It will thus be seen that any number of the fingers l Bmay be independently swung to an open position to provide the necessary number of rack slots 36, which may be independently filled and closed by actuating the dog 35 disposed adjacent thereto for retaining the stack of the pipe sections 35 therein, so that the size of the rack may thus be varied depending upon the number of pipe sectionsto be stacked and held. As illustrated in the drawings, the fingers l8 are preferably of a length to retain six of the pipe sections 35 and the rack is preferably provided with thirteen fingers 18 making a total of twelveslots to contain a maximum of seventy-two pipe sections, which is usually sufficient to hold all of the sections of a drill pipe, but obviously the fingers l8 may be of greater length or more fingers may be provided if necessary. The pipe Sections 35 are held upright and inrelatively snug engagement with each other and with the opposite ends of the slots- 36 so that they will not be swung by the wind to cause damage.

Various modifications and changes may obviously be made and are contemplated and the right is expressly reserved to make such variations and changes as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A device of the class described, comprising aplatform, a plurality of fingers pivotally connected to said platform, rods rotatably mounted longitudinally of said fingers and having their outer ends bent outwardly to form locking dogs, operating members secured transversely 'of the inner ends of said rods, said fingers being movable from a folded positionin said platform to an extended position projecting. outwardly from a side of said platform with the fingers disposed in spaced parallel relationship relatively to each other to form racks adapted to receive pipes, and said locking dogs being actuated by movement of said operating members to be moved to a position transversely of the outer ends of the slots formed between said fingers and adapted to retain the pipes therein.

2. A device as in claim 1, said rods being provided with tubular housings to protect the rods from engagement'with the pipes.

3. In a device of the class described, a platform comprising a frame provided with a plurality of spaced transverse beams rigidly secured thereto; a plurality of fingers pivotally connected in spaced relationship along one side of said frame and foldable into the spaces between said beams, said fingers being movable outwardly to an extended position'relatively to said platform and in a plane with said beams to form a pipe rack, means rotatably mounted on said fingers and provided with looking dogs at their free ends, said means being provided with operating members at their inner ends for actuating said looking dogs, said fingers being disposed in spaced relationship relatively to each other to form slots adapted to receive a plurality of said pipe sections, and said operating members adaptedto be actuated by the foot of the operator for selectively swinging the locking dogs to a position transverselyof said slotsto retain the pipe sec tions racked therein.

4. In a pipe rack and platform for oil derricks, a platform provided with a plurality of pivotally connected, spaced, transversely disposed parallel sections, said sections being movable from a folded position in said platform to an extended position substantially in a horizontal plane with by each of said sections and operated from the V inner ends thereof to selectively close-the outer 7 ends of said slots to retain the pipe sections therein.

5. A device asin claim 4, and a rail pivotally mounted on said platform provided with means to removably retain it in an upright position adjacent the inner ends of said slots to be engaged by the upper ends of said pipe sections.

6. In a pipe rack for oil well derricks, a platform adapt-ed to be removably mounted on the girts of an oil well derrick, said platform having a plurality of spaced transverse beams forming slots therebetween, a plurality of rack sections pivotally mounted along one side of said platform and foldable into said slots, said rack sections being selectively movable to a projected position in parallel spaced relationship relatively to each other to form slots adapted to receive a plurality of drill pipe sections stacked in upright relationship, and locking means carried by each ofsaid rack sections and selectively operable from the inner end thereof to close the outer ends of said slots.

'7. A device as in claim 6, said locking means comprising tubes disposed longitudinally of said rack sections, rods rotatably mounted in said tubes, the outer ends of said rods being bent outed to the upper side of said platform and movable to a position at right angles thereto and adjacent the inner ends of said rack sections to retain the pipe sections in an upright position.

9. A device as in claim 6, said rack sections comprising sleeves rotatably mounted on said platform, T-shaped beams projecting outwardly from said sleeves, and lugs secured to said sleeves and adapted to engage the underside of said first mentioned beams to limit the outward swing of the rack sections and to position them substantially in a plane with the platform when in an open position.

IRA T. MINYARD. ELZBERT L. LAYMAN. 

